Read The Vampire's Kiss (Other World Series Book 1) Online
Authors: Ramona Gray
The Vampire's Kiss (Other World Series Book 1)
THE VAMPIRE’S KISS
(Other World Series Book One)
By Ramona Gray
Copyright 2014 Ramona Gray
This book is the copyrighted property of the author, and may
not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or non-commercial
purposes. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content
is allowed.
Your support and respect for the property of this author is
appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to
persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.
The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used
fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
Cover art by: Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers
Abigail Winters had no idea what was happening.
One minute she had been hurrying home from her mundane job as a coffee barista
in the worse thunderstorm she had ever seen. The next, she was lying flat on
her back in the middle of a forest with the rain falling on her face.
She sat up, rubbing the knot that was
forming on the back of her head, and peered around curiously. She was sure she
had seen a bright orb of light hovering to the left of her before everything
went black. She looked around for her purse, wanting to grab her cell phone and
call someone. Who she wasn’t sure – the police maybe.
Her purse was nowhere to be seen and she
sighed and stood cautiously, waiting to see if she was going to pass out. Her
head was aching and her new jeans, the ones she had been so proud to buy
because they were a size smaller than her last pair, were shredded at the knees
and covered in mud.
Was she dead? Didn’t people say that there
was a white light when you died? She looked around as the rain continued to
fall. It was dark and scary and if this was heaven, she would hate to see what
hell looked like.
She moved forward slowly, squinting in the
dark and watching her feet so she didn’t trip over the exposed roots of the
trees around her.
She was frightened, but not panicking. At
least, not yet. There was a part of her, a very large part, which was
convinced she was dreaming. Any moment now she would wake up in her bed with
the sheets tangled around her legs and her alarm clock shrieking at her.
She took a deep breath. The air smelled
sweet and clean, nothing like the smog of the city, and she wondered vaguely if
someone had kidnapped her and dumped her in the country.
Don’t be ridiculous, Abby. Who would
kidnap you? You’re a nobody.
All perfectly true. She wasn’t an heiress
with a million dollar inheritance, she wasn’t a famous singer or movie star.
Truth be told she had less than twenty dollars in her bank account at the
moment. She was just plain, fat Abby. Always had been, always would be.
Yes, but don’t forget that you’re fat
Abby with fifteen pounds less fat.
Also true. She ran her hands down her size
eighteen jeans. She had been thrilled when she had gone down a size in pants.
She carried most of her weight in her ass and her hips, and to be down a pants
size meant that her healthy eating and exercising was working. She hated
exercising but she was becoming addicted to the results.
Um, Abby? Not to rain on your parade
but in case you’ve forgotten, you’re either dead or something very, very weird
is going on. Maybe celebrate your weight loss victory another time, what do
you say?
Very good advice. If she wasn’t dead then
she needed to find the nearest phone and call the police.
She stumbled through the trees. She had no
idea if she was moving deeper into the woods or not but she couldn’t just stand
there. She had to keep moving.
“She looks like a lost lamb. Does she not,
Toron?”
Abby shrieked and whipped around. Two men
were standing behind her. They were dressed similarly in faded green pants and
white shirts. One was tall and dark and the other short and blond.
“Aye, she does, Alex.” The blond man said
gravely.
“Are you lost little lamb? Lost in the
woods?” The one named Toron crooned softly.
Abby backed up a step. There was something
about the two men that was making all the hair on her body attempt to stand
up. Adrenaline was flooding through her veins and her limbs trembled in
response.
She stumbled back another step as the men
moved closer. Alex inhaled deeply. “I can smell her fear. It smells
delicious.”
Toron grinned at him. “I’m feeling
generous this evening. Why don’t you have the first drink?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Alex said
cheerfully. He was standing in front of her and pushing her against a tree
before Abby had realized he’d moved.
Her head banged on the tree, the knot
screaming in protest, and she screamed shrilly into the cold night air.
“Oh yes, little lamb – go ahead and
scream. There’s no one to hear you and I do love it when the lambs scream.”
Alex whispered.
He was holding her with one hand across the
top of her chest and she grabbed his arm and tried to yank it away from her.
His arm was hard as iron. She struggled futilely, unable to believe that the
small man could hold her so easily with just one hand. She stared at his pale
skin, her eyes dark and wide with panic, and he giggled like a demented child.
“You’re a big one but I don’t mind. More
of you to drink, right?”
She slapped him across the face as hard as
she could. His head rocked back but his hand never moved from her chest.
He hissed at her and she screamed as fresh
adrenaline poured into her veins. Alex was grinning at her and exposing his
long, white fangs.
“You don’t ever want to hit me, little
lamb. Not that it matters – you’ll be dead in a few minutes.”
“Oh get on with it, would you, Alex. I
want my turn. You shouldn’t play with your food anyway. Didn’t your mother
ever tell – “
Toron suddenly arched his back as a
startled look crossed his face. “Alex – “
Abby sucked in her breath when Toron
suddenly exploded in a shower of ash and blood. Alex screamed, a sound of rage
and fear, at the man standing in the trees. He held a long, curved blade in
one hand and he smiled bitterly at Alex.
“You would kill your own kind!” Alex
screamed again and, forgetting Abby entirely, he lunged for the stranger. His
fingernails were lengthening, becoming long and wickedly sharp talons, and he
moved so quickly that he was nothing but a blur.
Alex was quick but the stranger was
faster. The blade plunged through Alex’s chest and his scream of fury became a
long, gurgling moan. Abby sunk to the ground, wrapping her arms around her
knees as the stranger yanked the blade free and wiped it on Alex’s shirt. He
stepped back just as Alex exploded.
Abby watched disinterestedly as the man
approached her, sheathing his blade into the holder at his waist. He crouched
in front of her and took her chin in his hand, tilting her head first one way
and then the other as he examined her neck.
He was tall and broad with long dark hair
tied back in a neat ponytail. His eyes were a silvery grey and his skin was
pale and smooth. He had a broad nose and high cheekbones, and his jaw was
covered in dark stubble.
“Are you going to kill me?” Abby asked
dully.
He shook his head. “No. Get up, girl.”
He heaved her to her feet with one hard
hand under her arm and gave her a look of disgust when she swayed. He eyed her
up and down and another grimace of disgust passed across his face.
“Gods, you’re a fat one.”
She would have been offended if she hadn’t
noticed his teeth. They were very white and, despite the rain and the darkness,
she had no problem seeing his fangs. She moaned softly and he shook his head
impatiently.
“I said I wouldn’t hurt you. Come on,
girl.” He dragged her through the trees, moving so quickly that she was soon
out of breath and struggling to catch up.
He grunted with frustration and slowed down
a fraction, his hand tightening on her wrist when she tried to pull free.
“Please let go of me.” She panted.
“So you can run? You’ll be dead before
morning if I do.” He snapped.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to your own kind. Now keep
your mouth shut and hurry up.”
In less than fifteen minutes they were at
the edge of the forest. He stopped, his eyes roaming the large field in front
of them. She stood next to him, panting and trying to control her runaway
heartbeat as he rolled his eyes.
“Have you considered eating less and moving
more, human?”
“Fuck you.” She puffed.
He laughed. “The lamb shows spirit.”
She glared at him and he suddenly cupped
her face and pulled her forward until her face was only inches from his. He
grinned at her, his fangs looking very long and very sharp, and she swallowed
nervously.
“Although I do enjoy fucking a human,
you’re not my type.” He let his gaze travel down her body and back up to her
face. “Much too big for my taste.”
She flushed bright red and yanked her head
from his grip. He returned his gaze to the field. “We’re going to be moving
very quickly across the field. Keep up. You’ll regret it if you don’t. Do
you understand me?”
He stared into her dark brown eyes. His
eyes were grey and cold and she nodded, although she was almost positive that
she would not be able to keep up with him. She wasn’t going to tell him that. He
would probably kill her rather than give her the chance to try.
“Good. Let’s – “
He stopped, his head cocked to the side,
and his eyebrows drew down in a frown.
“What – “
“Shut up!” He hissed.
She closed her mouth with a snap as he dropped
her wrist. She took a few steps backwards, wondering if she could sneak away
without him noticing. Before she could dart into the trees, a silver mesh
dropped on to the man in front of her.
He hissed in agony as he collapsed to the
ground. She watched in horror as his skin began to smoke. She reached for the
net but two men and a woman dropped from the skies above her and blocked her
from grabbing it.
“Hello human.” The woman smiled at her,
revealing her own set of fangs, and Abby moaned with terror.
2
“Why would you be dragging a human through
the woods instead of drinking from her?” The woman stared at the man who had
rescued her.
From her spot on the ground, Abby watched
as the woman traced her long fingernail across the stranger’s face. Wearing
gloves, the three vampires had chained him to a tree with long silver chains
before removing the mesh. Abby had winced at the marks on his skin that the
mesh had left. The woman had ripped off his shirt, revealing a pale muscular
torso. The silver chains were slowly sinking into his skin and she wondered if
after a few hours they would simply rip his body apart. Smoke was rising
steadily from his body and he had to be in incredible pain, but his face was
serene and his grey eyes revealed nothing.
The woman glanced at Abby before looking
back at the chained man. “Do you keep her as your pet? Feed from her when you
need to?”
He refused to answer and she swiped across
his face with her long nails. They dug long, bloody furrows into his face, and
Abby winced but the vampire didn’t flinch.
“You wouldn’t mind if we have a taste of
your pet, would you?” The vampire standing above her grinned and yanked her to
her feet. He cupped the back of her neck and stared at her. His eyes were a
very light blue, and Abby could see herself reflected back in them.
“That’s right, look at me, sweet one.” He
whispered. She could feel a strange, heavy warmth coursing through her body
and she smiled a little. For the first time since she had woken on the floor
of the forest, she wasn’t afraid.
The vampire smiled again and stroked her
cheek with his thumb. “You’re very pretty. Did you know that?”
She gave him a dreamy, lost look. “Thank
you.”
“Lift your head, my pretty. Let me see
that beautiful throat.”
Still staring into his eyes, she lifted her
head obediently. He dipped his head and nuzzled her throat. She gasped. Her
nipples were hard little pebbles in her bra and there was sudden wetness
between her thighs.
“Shall I taste you?” He murmured.
“Yes, oh yes please.” She whimpered.
He opened his mouth, his fangs lengthening,
and she let her head fall back until she was staring at the night sky. The
clouds were parting and she could see the moon shining brightly. Her entire
body shivered and she waited breathlessly for his bite.
Before he could plunge his fangs into the
throbbing vein in her neck, there was a sharp whistle. He dropped her and she
fell bonelessly to the ground, panting and moaning softly as desire coursed
through her body.
The whistle came again, sharp and piercing,
and then the vampire above her made a soft grunt. He looked down to see the
dagger sticking out of his chest and reached for it with pale hands. Before he
could pull it from his chest his entire body exploded, splattering blood and
ash over Abby.
The female vampire screamed as the second
male vampire turned and stared into the trees. A bear of a man stepped out and
drove a sword through his chest. He yanked the sword free, stepping back as a
glut of blood sprayed from the vampire’s chest. The female screamed again as
the vampire exploded and then she was standing next to the man, her hand wrapping
around his throat. Despite his size, she lifted him easily and threw him
against the tree. He slammed into it, his head bouncing off the tree, and fell
to the ground. She pounced on him and leaned over, grabbing his hair with one
pale hand and yanking his head back to bare his throat.
Before she could sink her teeth into him, a
second woman, pale and blonde, stepped out of the trees and tapped her gently
on the back. The vampire whirled and hissed as the woman, her hand a blur,
slashed her across the throat with a short blade. The vampire’s head slid from
her body and landed with a soft thump at the woman’s feet. She walked away as
the body turned to ash.
“Neil, are you okay?” She asked as she
walked towards Abby. Her voice was low and musical and Abby didn’t need to see
her mouth to know that she was a vampire. It was in the way she moved, in the
easy grace that flowed through her body.
She held out her hand and, after a second,
Abby took it. The woman pulled her to her feet easily and smiled at her.
“What’s your name?”
“Abigail…Abby.” Abby stuttered as Neil stood
and hurried towards the man still chained to the tree.
Abby noticed with a curious type of
numbness that he wore no gloves as he unwrapped the silver chains that bound
the man to the tree.
Human, she decided, as the vampire standing
in front of her looked her up and down. “I do not think she is from here.”
Neil caught the vampire as he crumpled
forward and he heaved him over his shoulder. “Christ, Val. You’re goddamn
heavy.”
Val grunted with pain. “I can walk.”
Neil shook his head. “No, you can’t. I
can smell your flesh from here.” He made a grimace of disgust and shifted Val
on his shoulder. “Eone, we need to get back to the house. Right now.”
“I know.” Eone stared at Abby. “Do we
bring her with us?”
Val shook his head. “No, she’s too slow. It’s
why they caught us in the first place.”
“We’re not leaving her.” Neil replied.
“She’ll die if we do.”
“I do not think she is from here.” Eone
repeated herself softly.
Val lifted his head weakly and stared at
the two women. “She isn’t. I saw the light that brought her here.”
Abby took a deep breath. “Please, can
someone tell me what’s going on? Where am I? Who are you?”
Eone smiled at her and Abby felt warmth
surging through her pelvis again. She shook her head and made herself look
away from Eone’s gaze.
“Come, pretty one.” Eone took her hand.
“We’ll explain everything when we are safe.”
* * *
“Jesus Christ! What the fuck happened?” A
short man, his grey hair thin and stretched across the top of his head in a
vain attempt to hide his bald spot, watched as Neil dumped Val on the couch.
“What do you think happened, Bert?” Neil
said. “Leeches.”
He glanced at Eone and Val. “No offense.”
“Who is this?” A short, plump woman, her
dark hair pulled into a bun on top of her head, stared curiously at Abby.
“This is Abby.” Eone tugged her forward
and stroked her hair. She had plaited it this morning but it was starting to
come loose from her braid.
More people were crowding into the room,
men and women of varying ages and sizes, and Abby shrank back as they gathered
around her.
“Don’t be afraid, sweet one.” Eone smiled
at her. “We will not harm you.”
“Please tell me what’s happening.” Abby
whispered.
Bert stared at her. “Christ, she’s another
transplant. Who wants to try and explain it this time?”
The woman with the bun stepped forward. “I
will.” She took Abby’s hand and led her to a second couch across from the one
that Val was lying on.
“My name is Maria. It’s nice to meet you,
Abby.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. Are you – are
you a vampire?” Abby stared at her.
Maria shook her head. “No I’m not. I’m
human like you. Only Eone and Val are vampires.”
She took Abby’s cold hand in her warm
ones. “Abby, do you remember what happened to you?”
“I was – was walking home from work. It
was raining and dark and then there was this weird glowing orb. The next thing
I remember was waking up in the forest.”
Maria sighed. “All of this is going to be
hard for you to believe but I need you to try and have an open mind. Can you
do that, Abby?”
“Yes.”
“Good. That glowing orb was a – a doorway
of sorts. It sucked you from your world and into ours.”
Abby frowned. “Am I on an alien planet?”
Maria shook her head. “Not exactly. It’s
what you call earth – only a different version of it.”
She glanced behind her at a tall, thin man
and he smiled encouragingly at her. “Our version has not only humans but other
creatures as well. Vampires like Eone and Abby and other different species.”
“Like what?” Abby rubbed the knot at the
back of her head.
“We’ll explain more later. Right now, I
just want to make sure you understand that you are no longer on your earth.
There are many things in this world that will seek to harm you, and you must
stay with us for your own protection. Do you understand that? None of us will
hurt you.”
Abby’s eyes slid to Val and Eone and Maria
grasped her chin and turned her face towards her. “Eone and Val will not harm
you.”
“They’re good vampires?”
Bert snorted loudly and Maria glared at
him. “Yes, Abby. They’re good vampires. Most vampires prey on humans, seek
them out to feed and turn, or keep them as pets. However, there are some who
have joined forces with the humans. They wish to create a world of peace like
we do. Val and Eone are two of those vampires.”
“How do I get back to my own world?”
Maria gave her a look of sympathy. “You
cannot, Abby. I’m sorry but there is no way to return to the life you once
led.”
Abby stared at her in shock. “But – but
you said the orb was a doorway. I just need to find another one and –“
Maria squeezed her hands. “There is no
guarantee that the orb would return you to your own world. Most likely you
would be sent to yet another world. There are many different worlds.”
Abby could feel the tears sliding down her
cheeks as Maria squeezed her hands again. “I’m sorry, Abby. Why don’t you
come with me? You can bathe and I’ll find you some clean clothes, and then you
can lie down for a bit. Things will be clearer once you’ve gotten some rest.”
Abby stood and allowed the smaller woman to
lead her from the room.
* * *
“Do you feel better, Abby?” Maria smiled
at her when Abby entered the kitchen.
“A little. How long have I been sleeping?”
She pulled nervously at the top and pants that Maria had given her. The pants
were too big, she suspected Maria nicked them from one of the men, and the top
too small. It clung tightly to her large breasts.
“Only a few hours. Here, have some tea.”
Abby accepted the cup and sipped at the
steaming liquid. It had a woodsy, velvety taste to it and she stared curiously
at it. “What type of tea is this?”
Maria smiled. “None that you would
recognize.”
“Are you from my world?” Abby asked
tentatively.
“No. But I was married to one who was.”
Maria replied. “At least I think you’re from the same world. You speak in a
similar manner to him. Tell me – do you have metal wagons that propel
themselves using a liquid that catches fire? Metal tubes that fly in the sky?”
Abby nodded. “Yes.”
Maria smiled. “I thought so.”
“Where is your husband?”
“He’s dead.” Maria replied bluntly.
“I – I’m sorry.”
Maria nodded. “It was a long time ago.
Are you hungry? Would you – “
There was shouting from the living room and
Abby followed Maria as she hurried out of the kitchen.
“I ain’t letting him bite me.” A redheaded
woman was staring furiously at Neil. “You have no right to ask me to do that,
you big lug! You think I don’t know what will happen afterwards? I won’t
become his meal ticket every night just because he knows I won’t be able to
stop myself.”
“Erin, if we don’t do something he’s going
to die.” Neil said desperately.
“So, let him die! What do I care if some
dirty leech lives or dies?” Erin shouted.
“That leech has saved our lives more times
than we can count.” Neil said through gritted teeth. “Are you honestly okay
with just letting him die?”
Erin didn’t reply and he stared around the
room at the other women. “Is there not one of you who will help him?”
“What’s going on?” Abby whispered to Maria
as Neil went and knelt beside the couch that Val was lying on. The vampire was
noticeably paler, and his wounds from the mesh and the chain were still oozing
a steady flow of blood.
“Val needs human blood to heal. He’s going
to die if he doesn’t get it.” Maria replied. Her hands were wringing together
and she was staring anxiously at Eone.
“Eone, what if one of the women was to just
slice her arm and drain some blood. Val can drink it that way. It will heal
him.”
Eone shook her head. “It will help but not
quickly enough. You know how this works, Maria. A human’s blood works best
when we can drink directly from the source. We do not have time to drain blood
and wait for it to heal him. By tomorrow night vampires will be all over this
place. We killed three –“
“Five.” Val said weakly from the couch.